Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had recent discussions with police forces on the sharing of data with the social media company Meta.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The Home Secretary and Ministers hold regular meetings with policing colleagues to discuss a range of matters, which could include sharing of data.
The Home Office is unable to comment on any specific case or incident. However, as a matter of general practice, the Information Commissioners’ Office (ICO) sets out in their guidance how data should be shared by competent authorities, including law enforcement. This is available online at: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/data-sharing/data-sharing-and-reuse-of-data-by-competent-authorities/
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral statement of the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on Public Sector Pay of 13 July 2023, Official Report, column 525, when she plans to bring forward regulations to increase the immigration health surcharge.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We will lay regulations in the Autumn to amend the Immigration (Health Charge Order) 2015, in order to increase the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS).
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral statement of the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on Public Sector Pay of 13 July 2023, Official Report, column 525, when she plans to bring forward regulations to increase visa fees.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We will lay regulations in the Autumn to amend immigration and nationality fees and set out which routes are impacted.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of detainees' access to medical services in the Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
In relation to the provision of healthcare in immigration removal centres (IRC), we take our responsibilities towards detained individuals’ health and welfare seriously. All IRCs have dedicated health facilities run by doctors and nurses commissioned by NHS England and delivered to the equivalent quality standards as services are in the community.
Every detained individual arriving at an IRC receives an initial healthcare screening within 2 hours of their arrival which identifies any immediate or long-term healthcare risks. Unless they decline, detained individuals in IRCs are given an appointment with a doctor within 24 hours. Clinical pathways into other healthcare services are initiated at this point depending on the outcomes of the reception screen, for example into mental health services. Detained individuals have full access to the 24-hour on-site healthcare team during their stay in the IRC. Continuation of healthcare provision is included in contingency planning to ensure access to healthcare in unexpected incidents or circumstances.
All incidents of self-harm are treated very seriously, and every step is taken to prevent incidents of this nature. The Home Office requires IRC service providers to record management information on the number of incidents of self-harm that have required medical treatment. Information on incidents of self-harm which do not require medical treatment, or specifically, where the intent of the self-harm attempt is suicide, is not readily available from central statistical records.
The Home Office publishes data on the number of deaths of people detained under immigration powers. Data for each year from 2017, are published in Migration Statistics Det_05 of the Detention summary tables. In the period 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2021 (the latest two-year period for which published information is available), there were no deaths of individuals detained in the Heathrow IRCs. The next annual data set regarding deaths of people detained under immigration powers, covering 2022, will be published later this year.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many incidents of (a) self-harm, (b) suicide and (c) attempted suicide have been been recorded at Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre in each of the last two years.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
In relation to the provision of healthcare in immigration removal centres (IRC), we take our responsibilities towards detained individuals’ health and welfare seriously. All IRCs have dedicated health facilities run by doctors and nurses commissioned by NHS England and delivered to the equivalent quality standards as services are in the community.
Every detained individual arriving at an IRC receives an initial healthcare screening within 2 hours of their arrival which identifies any immediate or long-term healthcare risks. Unless they decline, detained individuals in IRCs are given an appointment with a doctor within 24 hours. Clinical pathways into other healthcare services are initiated at this point depending on the outcomes of the reception screen, for example into mental health services. Detained individuals have full access to the 24-hour on-site healthcare team during their stay in the IRC. Continuation of healthcare provision is included in contingency planning to ensure access to healthcare in unexpected incidents or circumstances.
All incidents of self-harm are treated very seriously, and every step is taken to prevent incidents of this nature. The Home Office requires IRC service providers to record management information on the number of incidents of self-harm that have required medical treatment. Information on incidents of self-harm which do not require medical treatment, or specifically, where the intent of the self-harm attempt is suicide, is not readily available from central statistical records.
The Home Office publishes data on the number of deaths of people detained under immigration powers. Data for each year from 2017, are published in Migration Statistics Det_05 of the Detention summary tables. In the period 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2021 (the latest two-year period for which published information is available), there were no deaths of individuals detained in the Heathrow IRCs. The next annual data set regarding deaths of people detained under immigration powers, covering 2022, will be published later this year.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any children under the age of 18 are currently detained in Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre; and whether any children under the age of 18 have been detained in that centre in the last (a) week, (b) month and (c) year.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Prior to arrival at an immigration removal centre (IRC) all detained persons will have been assessed as over the age of 18 and deemed suitable for detention. In some cases, individuals who are detained subsequently claim to be children. Our contracted service providers follow published guidance - Detention Services Order 02/2019 - on managing those who claim to be under the age of 18 after entering detention, to safeguard and promote their welfare.
The Home Office publishes statistics on people entering, in and leaving immigration detention in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. The number of people entering and in detention each quarter are in tables Det_D01 and Det_D02 of the ‘Detention detailed datasets’, where the data can be broken down by age and first place of detention or current place of detention. The number of people leaving detention each quarter are in table Det_D03 of the same datasets, where the data can be broken down by age. The latest data relates to the end of March 2023.
The Home Office takes the welfare and safety of people in its care very seriously and is focused on providing decent, safe and secure accommodation in all immigration removal centres. Independent scrutiny is a vital part of assurance that detention facilities are safe, secure, and humane. Robust statutory oversight is provided by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons and the Independent Monitoring Boards, ensuring that detained individuals are treated with proper standards of care and decency.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of living conditions inside the Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Prior to arrival at an immigration removal centre (IRC) all detained persons will have been assessed as over the age of 18 and deemed suitable for detention. In some cases, individuals who are detained subsequently claim to be children. Our contracted service providers follow published guidance - Detention Services Order 02/2019 - on managing those who claim to be under the age of 18 after entering detention, to safeguard and promote their welfare.
The Home Office publishes statistics on people entering, in and leaving immigration detention in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. The number of people entering and in detention each quarter are in tables Det_D01 and Det_D02 of the ‘Detention detailed datasets’, where the data can be broken down by age and first place of detention or current place of detention. The number of people leaving detention each quarter are in table Det_D03 of the same datasets, where the data can be broken down by age. The latest data relates to the end of March 2023.
The Home Office takes the welfare and safety of people in its care very seriously and is focused on providing decent, safe and secure accommodation in all immigration removal centres. Independent scrutiny is a vital part of assurance that detention facilities are safe, secure, and humane. Robust statutory oversight is provided by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons and the Independent Monitoring Boards, ensuring that detained individuals are treated with proper standards of care and decency.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to extend leave to remain to Afghan Chevening Scholars whose visas are due to expire within the next 12 months.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Under Pathway 1, vulnerable and at-risk individuals who arrived in the UK under the Afghan evacuation programme have been the first to be settled under the Afghan Citizen Resettlement Scheme (ACRS). This includes those Chevening scholars who were evacuated, and those who were notified by the UK Government that they had been called forward or specifically authorised for evacuation, but were not able to board flights and have subsequently arrived in the UK.
Individuals on the 2020/21 and 2021/22 Chevening programmes who were in the UK and did not meet the eligibility requirements for ACRS Pathway 3, which includes Chevening alumni at risk, were granted Indefinite Leave to Remain outside of the Rules, alongside their immediate family members who were also already in the UK.
Chevening awards were offered to Afghans resident in safe third countries for the academic year 2022-23. It was made clear to applicants that the scholarship is not an offer of resettlement and that the usual Chevening policy would apply, including the requirement to leave the UK at the end of their scholarship.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what provisions are in place for workers on the agricultural Seasonal Workers visa to be able to access information about their employment rights in the UK; and where Seasonal workers rights are infringed, what steps her Department is taking to help workers access compensation in a timely manner.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Seasonal Worker is an ‘operator led’ immigration route, with scheme operators selected to manage the placement of workers on UK farms and to ensure their welfare in the UK.
Scheme operators are responsible for managing all aspects of the recruitment and placement of workers on UK farms. This includes ensuring that workers are aware of their employment rights.
The Home Office and Defra maintain regular contact with scheme operators to ensure that they adhere to the stringent requirements set for ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the seasonal workers. The operators of the scheme are, and must remain, licensed by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA).
Seasonal workers receive the same protections under UK law as resident workers, including employment laws.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is her Department’s policy that Scheme Operators are responsible for ensuring that people on the agricultural seasonal workers visa scheme to not have zero-hours contracts; and what (a) consequences and (b) options for redress exist in the event that a worker is provided with a zero-hours contract.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The regulations which Scheme Operators are required to follow are set out in the relevant sponsor guidance for the Seasonal Worker route. This explicitly prohibits the use of zero-hours contracts. Any allegation of noncompliance with these requirements would be considered under our published compliance processes.
The relevant sponsor guidance can be found here: Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors: sponsor a seasonal worker - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).